Icelandair and airBaltic to codeshare

The flag-carriers of Iceland and Latvia have signed an agreement that opens new markets for both airlines.

A new codeshare agreement has been signed by Icelandair and airBaltic, allowing them to sell and issue airline tickets jointly throughout their networks.

Passengers flying with Riga-based airBaltic will gain access to Iceland and North America, while Icelandair passengers will have more destinations across the Baltics, Europe and the Middle East.

“We are looking forward to the partnership with Icelandair and through that offering our passengers better travel opportunities around the world,” airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss said.

“Our strong network of partners enables us to further improve the connectivity of Baltic states.”

The deal means airBaltic now has 17 codeshare partners while Icelandair has six.

Icelandair will now offer tickets on direct flight connections from its capital Reykjavik’s Keflavík Airport (KEF) to Riga (RIX), Latvia, and onward to Budapest (BUD), Hungary; Palanga (PLQ) and Vilnius (VNO), Lithuania; Prague (PRG); Tallinn (TLL), Estonia; and Warsaw (WAW) in Poland. Passengers will also have access to routings from KEF to RIX via Copenhagen (CPH), Helsinki (HEL), Oslo (OSL) and Stockholm (ARN).

In turn, once border restrictions allow, airBaltic passengers can buy tickets from RIX to KEF and onward to US destinations Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), New York (JFK) and as far west as Seattle (SEA).

“By connecting Icelandair’s route network to airBaltic, we offer our customers more options when it comes to connections in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe,” Icelandair CEO Bogi Nils Bogason said.

“On the other hand, airBaltic customers can take advantage of important connections to Iceland and across the ocean to a number of our destinations in North America. The collaboration strengthens Keflavík Airport as a connecting airport and supports an increase in tourists.”

According to schedules data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, airBaltic suspended flights between RIX and KEF in mid-March as the COVID-19 crisis escalated. However, service resumed on July 13 with 3X-weekly flights.